


Fifth Times the Charm

by Ouka_noir



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Female My Unit | Byleth, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Church Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Cindered Shadows Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Malig Knight My Unit | Byleth, NG+, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Sothis is a Fairy Godmother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-01-14 23:31:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21240551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ouka_noir/pseuds/Ouka_noir
Summary: Byleth Lavenza Eisner has lived through one too many lifetimes full of joy and sadness and death. Watching the people she loves die regardless of how her actions change. Finally, she's had enough. In an attempt to make a better world, Lavenza forces herself back to the very beginning, the very moment she was born. Although things don't go quite as planned, Sothis intends to see Lavenza's dream come true even if she doesn't remember it at all.(Or Lavenza is tired of not being able to save everyone and decides to just rewrite history but loses most of her memories so Sothis gets to play Fairy Godmother.)





	1. Prologue- The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, it begins

_Imperial Year 1159, 20th day of Horsebow Moon_

She cried. Her little face srunched as fat tears fell across her red cheeks. It was a miracle; one she had been waiting for for centuries. Twelve vessels, twelve failures but finally her mother had returned to her. Even so, it was at the cost of Sitri. Some small part of Rhea was saddened by her daughter’s plea to save the weak babe she’d cradled in her last moments but it was overshadowed by the sheer joy she felt at having her mother returned to her.

And yet she wouldn’t stop crying. Rhea paced around her room, gently rocking the wailing babe in an attempt to soothe her. “Mother, please, weep no more. Everything is alright now,” she cooed, running her finger over the babe’s flushed cheek. To her disappointment, the babe only wailed louder. She couldn’t understand why her mother refused to calm. Perhaps she was unhappy with her vessel?

A sigh escaped her lips as she settled herself heavily atop her bed. It had barely been six hours since her mother’s rebirth and Sitri’s death and she was exhausted. Even an immortal being such as herself could overwork and sicken if she overexerted herself. Gently, she laid across the mattress and cradled her mother close to her face even as she cried. She didn’t know what to do. She’d never raised a baby before. Perhaps she should send a letter to Cichol and ask for his advice on the matter. Finally, she allowed her tired and aching eyes to close in an attempt to sleep.

_“In time’s flow, see the glow of flames ever burning bright. On the swift river’s drift, broken memories alight…”_

Rhea felt her muscles relax as her mother’s lullaby washed over her. It felt as though her mother were actually singing to her.

_“Rest easy, Byleth, all is well. There is no need to cry, everything will be alright,”_ a soft, familiar, voice whispered sweetly.

Her eyes shot open in confusion as she propped herself up before she caught sight of a near transparent woman sitting on the edge of the bed, her hand caressing the babe’s tuft of teal hair with a small smile on her face. Long, wild evergreen hair fell over her back and matching eyes shimmered with pure love as she looked over the child. It was impossible, and yet…

“Mother?” Rhea whispered.

The woman lifted her head, her smile widening slightly as she met the Archbishop’s wide eyes. _“Hello, Seiros. Or would you prefer your new name? It has been many years since we have met face to face like this, I fear that I am unsure of what to say,”_ the woman- Sothis- teased.

Rhea-no, Seiros- opened her mouth to respond only for a whimper to make her pause. Surprised, she looked to the babe and saw that her crying had lessened somewhat. “Mother, I am so glad- “

Almost immediately, the babe’s tears returned in full force.

Sothis sighed as she ran her ethereal fingers over the babe’s cheek, catching a few of the tears as they fell. “There, there, Byleth. Please do not cry anymore, I do not wish for you to grow ill,” she pleaded softly. The babe hiccupped feebly as her tears slowed and she leaned her head towards the transparent goddess. _“There now, that was not so hard now was it?”_ Sothis teased. Her smile widened when the babe gurgled.

Seiros couldn’t comprehend what exactly was going on. How was her mother here when she had finally succeeded in giving her a vessel, in bringing her back to life? Had she failed?

_“You did not fail, Seiros.”_

Surprised, she raised her head to meet her mother’s eyes only to find her gazing fondly at the babe. “Then how am I able to see you? Should you not be within your vessel?” she asked desperately.

The goddess glanced to her daughter, her gaze half lidded almost as though she was glaring. _“There is much to explain, Seiros, much more than I can explain right now. I can tell you that I have been reincarnated, but you must know that, while Byleth and I share a soul, she is her own person. She is not me,”_ she cautioned. Her gaze lowered to the babe, resting her palm to cup her now pale cheek. _“And please, for the sake of all of us, call her by her name. The reason she cries so is because you continue to call her ‘Mother’. It makes her uneasy.”_

“How is it that she has a name? Sitri didn’t have the time to give her a proper name,” Seiros blubbered.

_“That is because is the name she was given. Time is a strange thing, is it not? Four lifetimes of sadness and joy and still she wishes to try again. I must admit that this child is quite resilient, although I believe I must intervene to ensure things do change.”_

Time. Her mother, Sothis, was known as The Beginning. It shouldn’t be possible, but it makes Seiros’s head spin. Four lifetimes? What had happened?

_“I can see your questions flying about from here, daughter. Please clam yourself, all will be explained in time. However, I do have a few things to request of you,”_ she assured.

Seiros perked. “Anything, Mother, please just name it!”

Sothis raised a hand and lifted a finger. _“Firstly, you must tell Jeralt what you have done. Do not hide anything from him. Tell him of Sitri’s plea and beg for his forgiveness.”_ Seiros’s jaw dropped. Tell Jeralt? How was she supposed to do that?! He would surly leave the monastery and take the babe with him! Before she can speak, Sothis lifts a second finger. _“Secondly, you must begin investigating the Agarthans. I fear they will begin taking action in the coming years.”_

Seiros drew a sharp breath. The Agarthans lived? Still?! But how was that possible?! They should have been eradicated millennia ago!

Sothis lifted a third finger. _“Thirdly, I ask that you treat this baby not as a replacement for me but as a true child of yours, as the last remnant of your own daughter. Love her as I have loved you and your siblings when you were young. She has been through so much and she needs you by her side. And lastly,”_ she lifted a fourth finger with a small smile, _“I ask that you call her Byleth Eisner,”_ she explained softly.

Byleth. That was what Sothis had been calling the babe since she first appeared. A faint memory arose in her mind, an afternoon tea with a heavily pregnant Sitri and a brief moment when she mentioned a name she would like to give a daughter. Byleth. That was it. How could she have forgotten such a precious memory?

Seiros blinked at the memory, tears she hadn’t known had gathered cascading down her cheeks. Slowly, she leaned forward until she was looking down at the babe’s face. Her brilliant forget-me-not eyes opened curiously at the shadow cast upon her, eyes darting between Seiros and Sothis questioningly. For a moment, the archbishop worries her lower lip with her teeth before taking a breath. “Byleth?” she whispered.

The babe blinked for a moment, almost as though surprised, before she opened her mouth in a gummy smile and giggled. For the first time since she held the babe- Byleth- in her arms, she smiled. More tears flowed from her eyes as emotions she hadn’t realized she’d bottled up flowed forth in a torrent.

Grief at the loss of Sitri. Happiness to the birth of her grandchild. Sorrow at being forced to do what no mother should have to do. Anger at not being able to save her child. Despair at realizing exactly how much pain she must have caused this newborn. And love. Love for what remained of her daughter. Love for a baby who shared the soul of her mother.

A sob escaped the saint as she brought Byleth into her embrace. For the rest of the night, she cried for her child, her precious Sitri, while Byleth cooed and gurgled in her arms. Eventually, both saint and child slept while the goddess watched over them.

Sothis smiled at the pair, assured that things would go differently. _ “I promise you, Lavenza, things will be different this time around. You will no longer have to face the future on your own. Take heart, all may not be lost. All that you have sacrificed will not be in vain.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE  
So it's been a while and I did a bit of soul searching and decided to change the main character's name to the canon name. I started getting confused, mixing my Fire Emblem Heroes character Lavenza with my Byleth-Lavenza. I've also made a few small changes but that is the big one.


	2. Chapter 1- The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeralt returns to the Monastery. Rhea tells him everything.

_Imperial Year 1159, 3rd day of Wyvern Moon_

Jeralt loosed a long sigh as Garreg Mach Monastery finally came into view. This latest mission had lasted far longer than he would have liked, taking almost half the month to complete while the travel time had taken two weeks in all. It had been over a month since he had last seen Sitri and felt their child kick against his hand. For all he knew, their child may now be kicking off their blankets in the middle of the night while Sitri watched over them, telling them stories until they drifted off. The thought made him smile. 

To his relief, reaching the marketplace of Garreg Mach seemed to pass in a blur. Within seconds, he had dismounted from his steed and handed her off to a stable hand. With thinly veiled excitement, he looked over the stairs leading to the Officers Academy. There at the top of the stairs stood Archbishop Rhea dressed in her regalia with a bundle swaddled in plush blankets cradled in her arms. The sight made his heart race. Was that-? 

Before his thoughts were fully formed, he was jogging up the stairs and bowing to the archbishop with a fist over his heart. “I have returned, Lady Rhea. Apologies for our late return, I will be sure to include the reasons why in my report,” he assured, wheezing slightly in his haste.

Instead of simply raising a brow as he had come to expect, Lady Rhea giggled. Jeralt’s eyes widened in shock. Never before had he heard the archbishop laugh. On occasion, he would see her bless Sitri with a true smile that reached her eyes but never a laugh. “Calm yourself, Jeralt. I know that you will have everything in order as soon as possible, but please allow yourself time to rest after your long mission,” she soothed.

He opened his mouth to reply but froze as the sound of gurgles resounded from within the blankets in Lady Rhea’s arms. Lady Rhea lowered her eyes to gaze lovingly at the bundle. “Yes, Byelth dearest, your father has finally returned to us,” she cooed softly.

Jeralt blinked. Byleth, that was the name Sitri wanted to give their child if it was a girl. So that meant…

When Lady Rhea held the bundle out to him, he floundered for a moment before accepting the blankets and the tiny being swaddled within them. As he looked into the folds, his eyes were met by Sitri’s forget-me-not blues as his child- their daughter- looked up at him with wide eyes. He could only stare at the babe as her mouth quirked up into a gummy smile, one of her pudgy hands reaching up to grab at his beard. The sting of tears made him blink as he shifted their daughter so her little hand wrapped around his offered finger. She was so beautiful, more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.

“Hello little one,” he sighed wetly.

Lady Rhea watched as father and daughter interacted with one another, a bright smile lighting her eyes. Eventually, the Captain of her Knights raised his head and looked about curiously. “Where in the world is Sitri? It isn’t like her not to meet me when I return from a mission,” he pondered humorously.

He continued to look around until he caught sight of Lady Rhea’s suddenly drawn face. Her hands clasped in front of her mouth while her eyes glistened with unshed tears. All of a sudden, he felt a weight settle in his stomach. Seeming to sense her father’s distress, Byleth began sniffling uneasily. “Lady Rhea, where is Sitri?” Jeralt practically begged. 

“Jeralt, I-“ her voice cracked. “I’m so sorry, my friend. I tried to-but I- Oh Goddess give me strength.”

“Rhea, please! Don’t tell me. Is she…”

Tears streamed down Lady Rhea’s face as she moved to drape her arms over Jeralt’s broad shoulders. His resolve broke as the archbishop’s tears wet his shirt, allowing his grief to show as he sobbed against the woman. Any who passed were kind enough to turn away while the two wept over their lost loved one.

~~~~

A fresh grave had been added to the small graveyard, his wife’s name, birthdate, day of death and her favorite flower decorating the simple slab. The Captain of the Knights of Seiros knelt before his wife’s grave, tracing her name with his thumb and staring hard at the date she’d breathed her last breath. According to Lady Rhea, there had been complications during Byleth's birth that not even Rhea could predict. Ultimately, it had been Sitri who had begged Rhea, her own mother, to save her baby. Before she had joined the goddess, she had gifted their child a name: Byleth Eisner.

“Jeralt.”

He glanced over his shoulder at where Lady Rhea stood at the base of the staircase. Tear stains marred her normally flawless face, proving beyond a doubt that she was human despite everything he’d witnessed. Her hands fidgeted nervously in front of her as she watched him mourn before Sitri’s grave. Slowly, ever so slowly, he stood to his feet, cradling Byleth close to his chest as she napped. “I don’t know what to do anymore,” he croaked. “We were going to do all of this together and now it’s just me.” 

His eyes dropped to gaze at his slumbering daughter, her face serene as she slept with her little ear pressed over his heart. She was so precious and pure, so much like her mother. His heart ached as he realized she was the last thing he had of her. “I don’t know if I can do this alone,” he lamented.

“You won’t have to do it alone, Jeralt,” Rhea whispered.

One of his brows arched slightly in confusion. “Sitri was not only special to you; she was my daughter and someone well loved. I have no doubt that there are many within Garreg Mach alone who would be willing to help you, myself included,” she insisted.

After a breath, she straightened to her full height and forced her face to what he’d come to associate with the leader of the Church. “As Archbishop of the Church of Seiros, I am ordering you to take six months of leave to grieve and spend time with your daughter,” she ordered firmly.

Jeralt’s eyes widened in surprise, unsure if he’d heard her correctly. By the way she smiled at him teasingly, he knew she wasn’t joking. A fresh wave a tears stung his eyes, threatening to spill over but he refused to be overcome again so soon after regaining some of his composure. “Thank you, Lady Rhea, I will gladly take you up on your offer. Both of them,” he added with a small grin.

Lady Rhea’s eyes lit up with joy before fading again. “There is something else I should tell you Jeralt, regarding exactly how I was able to save Byleth’s life and I beg of you to hear me out before you judge me,” she pleaded.

Once again, a weight settled in his stomach. How she was able to save Byleth? What the hell did that mean?

~~~~

_Imperial Year 1159, 17th day of Wyvern Moon_

“Alright, my little By, we’re gonna clap now,” Jeralt cooed at his daughter.

Byleth gurgled at him as he gently cupped her hands and clapped them together. At the sight, her gurgles turned to giggles and, as he drew his hands away, she began repeating the motion albeit a little clumsily. He chuckled at the look of sheer joy on his daughter’s face as she continued clapping at him. 

No heartbeat. His most trusted physician had confirmed it for him not a day after Rhea explained everything to him. To be more exact, the physician had said Byleth’s heartbeat was very slow and hard to locate. Sometimes, when his anxiety took over, he found himself pressing his ear to Byleth’s little chest and listening intently for her soft, almost undetectable heartbeat. A crest stone. Of all things, Rhea had put a crest stone into his daughter. A crest stone that had apparently been in his wife previously. When Sitri had begged Rhea to save her baby, she knew what she was going to be giving up and had gone through with it anyways. Byleth truly was the only thing he had left of his Sitri.

Although learning that Rhea was actually Seiros was definitely something that had thrown him for a loop. He knew it was weird that she had been able to revive him from a fatal injury, not to mention awakening to find himself with a Major Crest of Seiros that he was certain he hadn’t possessed prior to their meeting. Between the two things he had learned that day two weeks ago, he hadn’t been too horribly surprised by Rhea’s revelation. He had always suspected something was off about her, but he hadn’t been expecting her to be the Saint who slayed the Liberation King over a millennium ago.

All things considered, he was handling things pretty well. He had taken Rhea’s offer of time off in stride, spending every waking moment with his daughter. He had been mildly surprised when he learned that Rhea had been personally caring for Byleth ever since Sitri’s death. She had taken the time to explain the routine she had gotten the girl into and followed it to the best of his ability, adding in his own spin here and there. The clapping was something that had been recommended to him by a fellow knight.

Eventually, Byleth began tilting over and falling onto her stomach. Jeralt was beyond thankful for the thick plush blanket a priest had gifted to him for “tummy time” as she called it. The blanket was one of Byleth’s favorite things to play with, tugging at the cloth and kneading it like a kitten before stretching herself out on her stomach and kicked her legs out as though she were trying to swim. It was the cutest damned thing Jeralt had ever seen.

Despite the resentment he had felt toward Rhea upon learning everything about Sitri’s death, he knew Sitri would have scolded him for not forgiving her and allowing her to be part of Byleth’s life. In all honesty, he got the feeling Sitri was haunting him and whispering into his ear whenever his anger rose so high he had trouble thinking. In the end, he had personally told Rhea that he forgave her for doing what she did, knowing now that she must have grieved even more than he did because she had been the one forced to do the unthinkable. If he had been in the same situation, Jeralt wasn’t too sure if he would have been able to go through with it.

He watched fondly as Byleth kicked out her legs and reached out with her hands in an attempt to crawl to him only to find herself stuck on her stomach. He continued to watch her efforts until tears began to form in her eyes. “Hey now, no need to cry. Papa’s right here,” he chuckled as he lifted the sniffling girl into his arms and rested her against his chest. One hand rubbed soothing circles into her small back with the other smoothed out her teal locks. Soon enough, her sniffling ceased as she rested her ear over his heart and just listened. 

“And here you said you couldn’t do this on your own,” a voice mused.

Jeralt blinked in surprise, tilting his head back until he found himself lying on the floor, staring up at Rhea’s amused face. Her bright eyes took in his unusual position, crossed legs in the air while he cradled his infant daughter to his chest and stared up at her dumbfounded. A small smirk twitched across his face. “When did I ever say that? I’ll have you know that raising this kid is a joint effort,” he joked. 

Her eyes brightened with her smile as she stepped further into the room and lowered herself to watch Byleth happily rest against her father. For the next few minutes, they just watched her as she breathed and made cute little noises as she dreamed. Finally, Rhea spoke up. “Alois is going to be knighted soon,” she began, casting a glance at her friend. “I know he’d love for you to be there if you could bare to be away from your ‘little By’ for that long.”

Jeralt huffed a laugh, trying his best not to disturb his little girl. “His knighting is still two moons away, by then Byleth will likely be even more active than she is now. I heard from some knights that she will start babbling more when the Ethereal Moon roles around. I don’t want to miss a second of that,” he explained.

One of Rhea’s perfect brows quirked. Almost immediately, Jeralt’s cheeks flushed. “Yeah, yeah I’m going soft, kill me,” he groused half-heartedly.

She giggled for a moment before glancing at Byleth where she slept. “You know that I am willing to watch her if you ever need a break. You and I both know that Alois will likely come barging in here if you don’t show up at the ceremony and we both know how Byleth will react to that,” she pointed out knowingly.

A groan left Jeralt at the memory of Alois bursting into his room a week ago to meet Byleth, all loud and boisterous only for his little girl to burst into tears at the man’s booming voice, although he was almost certain she was crying because of the awful puns Alois had used to try and cheer her up. “Fair point,” he conceded. 

They stayed in a comfortable silence, Jeralt finally relaxing himself so he was fully lying on the floor while Rhea seated herself primly beside him. “I never did say it but,” Jeralt met Rhea’s eyes, “thank you for saving Byleth.”

Her eyes widened, shining slightly as tears began to gather at the edges. “My only regret is that I could not save them both,” she admitted.

“Even so, thank you. I don’t know if I could have gone on if I lost both of them.”

“We are family, Jeralt, please don’t thank me. Just love Byleth enough for both you and Sitri and that is all the thanks I will ever need.”

They remained on the floor for half an hour until Byleth awoke at which point Rhea talked animatedly with her grand-daughter while Jeralt went fishing for their dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So something I forgot to mention last chapter: Nabateans can see Sothis in this timeline hence why Rhea and later Seteth and Flayn can see, hear and speak with her. I had to look up a lot of information on the development of a one-month old baby and I think I did pretty good but please let me know if my portrayal is inaccurate so I can fix it.
> 
> I get the feeling the only reason he fled Garreg Mach was because Rhea wasn't honest with him and hid a ton of stuff from him in regards to his wife and child which is understandable. Honesty is the best policy and I get the feeling Jeralt is a pretty logical person, plus he knows Rhea actually cares.
> 
> I cannot guarantee a strict schedule for when these chapters come out, mainly because of school and whatnot but I have been making some progress on what future chapters will be looking like. Not to mention the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield this month which will take up a good chunk of my time.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	3. Chapter 2- The Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth reaches 6 months of age! Only 6 more to go until she's a full year old!

_Imperial Year 1159, 5th day of Lone Moon_

“Are you sure you are okay with this?” Rhea asked solemnly. “You don’t have to start your duties again so quickly.”

Jeralt let out a sigh and turned to look at the archbishop and the toddler she held in her arms. Technically speaking, he still had a month of leave left but he had grown restless after reading Alois’s reports about the Western church’s activity. Something was going on and he wasn’t quite sure what which made him uneasy. “You know that I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t sure Byleth was going to be in safe hands, but I know that she will be safe so long as you are by her side,” he insisted.

The archbishop arched a single green brow in challenge. “And you are certain that this has nothing to do with the representative from the Western church’s questions regarding Sitri and Byleth?” she pondered aloud.

She had him there. When a bishop from the Western Church had arrived at Garreg Mach for Saint Seiros day, he had been unnerved by the man’s interest in Byleth’s birth and Sitri’s death to the point of leaving mass early and hiding away until the man had left. Shortly thereafter, Rhea had received a letter from the head of the Western church insisting that he travel to Garreg Mach to see the child for himself and offer his blessings. The look on Rhea’s face had made Byleth whimper and tear up until the woman finally tossed the offending parchment into the fireplace. 

Instead of answering, Jeralt turned to adjust the papers and trinkets on his desk until it was just right. He appreciated that old man Mateo had been willing to act as captain, but he loathed than man’s lack of organization. Inwardly, he continued to gripe until he heard Byleth grunt. “Ba!”

Jeralt sighed again, a small smile on his face as he turned to look at his daughter and the pout she pointed at him. “Ba!” she huffed again.

Within three strides, he scooped his child from Rhea’s arms and settled her on his forearm. She looked up at him with her large, soft blue eyes that crinkled at the edges as she smiled up at him. “Ba,” she giggled, reaching a hand up to pat his cheek. 

“Yes, yes. Ba’s here, Byleth,” he assured her softly.

Her smile grew at the sound of her name before burying her head into his tunic, sighing as she inhaled her father’s scent. Just holding her in his arms was a balm to his anxieties. Whatever the Western Church had planned, it could wait a little while longer. For now, he wanted to simply hold his daughter and let the world pass them by.

~~~~

_Imperial Year 1159, 26th day of Lone Moon_

Sothis floated over the bassinet situated in Rhea’s room, watching as little Byleth hiccupped and wailed. Three days ago, Rhea had noticed Byleth acting a little strangely fussy and was awoken a night later to the babe’s wailing. A fever warmed the babe’s skin uncomfortable as Rhea rocked her in an attempt to soothe her to no avail. The next morning, the church’s physician confirmed what Rhea had suspected; Byleth had a cold. According to the physician, it would likely clear up in a week during which time Byleth cried and coughed and rarely ate or slept. But, because Rhea was the archbishop, she was unable to remain by Byleth’s side at all times. 

Sothis, however, was not as restricted.

It still surprised her how greatly her abilities had changed in this new life: appearing to Rhea had been a surprise and she soon learned that she was able to interact with the world, to a degree, even though only Rhea and Byleth knew of her presence. She happily used her newfound ability to her advantage whenever Byleth was being fussy, picking up a toy and passing it to the child to play with. Seeing Jeralt’s surprise and confusion at objects moving on their own was also quite amusing. At the moment though, she was just glad she could help out.

Lightly, she dabbed a damp cloth across Byleth's red face and ran it over her tear stained cheeks in an attempt to cool her a little. _“This must feel quite nice, something cool to offset your fever,”_ she cooed softly. Byleth whimpered, scrunching her face as Sothis brushed her thumb across her cheek. _“I know you must not feel well, Byleth, but worry not, all will be well.”_

She watched with a grin as the babe opened her eyes and reached out for the goddess. It had become clear to her that Byleth had learned her name quite early in life, reaching out to any who spoke her name even if they hadn’t spoken directly to her. She found it quite adorable and reached out a hand for the babe to grasp at. _“I do wish that I was able to hold you, little flame, but I worry that my power is limited to smaller objects. We would not want you to fall through my arms,”_ she declared cheerily.

Byleth opened her mouth to a gummy grin as she giggled but soured as it morphed into a cough. Sothis’s grin fell before she descended into the bassinet to curl around her other half. Almost instantly, Byleth appeared to relax. _Such an odd child,_ she snickered silently. The goddess played with the child’s little fingers as she began to drift off to sleep for the first time in days. Every so often, Byleth’s chest would rattle with a cough and Sothis, in turn, would rub slow circles on the babe’s chest until it settled. She continued to lay curled beside her other half even as the sound of footsteps became more pronounced.

The door opened with a low creak as Rhea stalked into her room, shoulders hunched from an unseen weight. Her hair was in a slight disarray, a few strands sticking out against her headdress, and her eyes had dark bags beneath them. She sighed as she sagged against her bed and began working to remove her jewelry. 

_“A long day, I take it,”_ Sothis mused from her place in the bassinet. She watched in amusement as Rhea blinked in surprise and looked about in confusion. _“Over here,”_ she called out, lifting a single hand to beckon her daughter over.

After a few moments, Rhea leaned over to look into the basinet and stifled a laugh at the sight of her mother, in the form of a little girl, curled around a sleeping Byleth. Sothis scrunched her face in annoyance. _“Do not laugh. This was the only way she would sleep,”_ she grumbled.

To her credit, Rhea swallowed her laughter in favor of a soft smile. “How was she? I wished to return sooner but many wanted to know how our little one was faring,” she asked, reaching a hand in to caress the babe’s flushed cheek. 

Sothis sighed before burying her nose into the babe’s wild teal locks. _“I believe her fever has lessened somewhat, but her cough continues to linger. Perhaps tonight you should try feeding her goat milk mixed with warm water, that is what I once did for Macuil when he fell ill,”_ she suggested.

Rhea blinked in surprise. Ever since her mother had appeared before her, she had only spoken of her other children twice: once on Saint Seiros day (_“Honestly, it astounds me that there is a day named for you but none for me.”_) and once on Saint Indech day when the two had exchanged stories about the shy Nabatean. She still wondered if she should send a letter to Cichol to invite him and Cethleann to the monastery. 

For a moment, she simply watched her mother coo at Byleth as the girl was roused from her slumber by a cough. Before she could begin crying in earnest, Rhea reached into the bassinet and gently lifted her granddaughter into her arms. Sothis lifted her head to watch her daughter and great-granddaughter before willing herself upwards, catching hold of Byleth’s stuffed dragon as she went. “We should see that she at least gets something to eat,” Rhea mused. She met her mother’s emerald gaze. “Hopefully she has some of her appetite back.”

Sothis nodded then floated to place the little dragon into Byleth’s waiting arms. _“Best to let her hold onto this, lest rumors begin to spread of a ghost haunting the monastery,”_ she giggled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, this one took a while to write. I actually fell and possibly fractured my vertebrae a few days ago and I've been a little preoccupied by the pain and school. But the show must go on! And my inner Sothis was scolding me.
> 
> My thinking is that there will be two chapters per a year until we reach the time where the game begins. I've actually got a basic outline of how I want the story to go and I've already written the 13th chapter because I felt like it.
> 
> I love the idea of Sothis playing babysitter/doting great-grandmother to Byleth and I also saw it fit to give her the powers of an actual ghost since that is what she is.
> 
> Also, Jeralt wants to take care of his daughter but he is the Captain of the Knights so he has to read reports and whatnot late into the night. I know his pain ;_;


	4. Chapter 3- The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As much as I love Baby Byleth cuteness, I think it's time to pick up the pace.

_Imperial Year 1162, 11th day of Guardian Moon_

Rhea gazed out at the congregation before her, a smile brightening her face as she caught sight of Jeralt and Byleth, dress in her pretty green dress, sitting in the front pew. Just above Byleth floated Sothis who appeared to be whispering encouragements into the little girl’s ear. Noticing her gaze, the three-year-old waved shyly at the archbishop before burrowing her face into her father’s side while Sothis watched on with a soft smile. The sight made Rhea’s heart warm and clench at once. 

She loathed that she had caused Byleth's shyness around others in her attempts to protect the girl from harm. Jeralt had assured her numerous times that she would grow out of it but Rhea couldn’t help feeling responsible for her granddaughter’s unease around strangers. Hopefully her special guests would arrive soon and help to alleviate Byleth's shyness.

With a deep breath, she began the mass for Saint Seiros Day, speaking of Seiros’s revelation from the Goddess to protect Fodlan and strike down those who would misuse the Goddess’s power and how Saint Seiros would watch over Fodlan from the heavens alongside the Immaculate One and her fellow Saints for the Goddess to rise again. At this part, she couldn’t help her smile reaching her eyes. _Soon enough, the others will know of Byleth and rejoice. I pray they love her as I do,_ she thought.

~~~~

“Happy birthday, Ray-Ray!” Byleth cheered, holding out a bouquet of forget-me-nots and white carnations to her grandmother. 

Rhea beamed at the little girl, kneeling down to gently accept the flowers and inhale their fragrance. Her smile widened as she buried her nose into the velvety petals, knowing very well that Byleth has likely grown them herself. “Thank you, my dearest. They are beautiful,” she cooed. With one arm, she brought the girl into her embrace and simply enjoyed her granddaughter’s warmth.

From his spot at the pews, Jeralt smiled at the sight. Watching Byleth contemplate which of the flowers she had grown would be perfect for Rhea had been so amusing to watch that he had almost fallen over had it not been for the fact that Alois had been there as well. As grandmother and granddaughter spoke quietly about their afternoon tea plans, Jeralt cast his gaze around the Cathedral before his sights halted on a tall, unfamiliar man in holy vestments standing at the entry way. In an instant his shoulders tensed, ready to drive off yet another overly curious bishop from the Western Church. Today, of all days, he was not interested in having the Western Church around.

Just as he began to move to interrogate the man, Rhea looked up and noticed the man. “Seteth! What a surprise!” she exclaimed, standing to her full height while still holding Byleth in her arms.

_Seteth? Who the hell is Seteth?_ Jeralt pondered confusedly.

He could only watch as Rhea moved past him to meet the man- Seteth- who bowed slightly. “It has been a while, Rhea, I see that you are doing well,” he noted as he rose.

Rhea chuckled and nodded. “Yes, although there has been some trouble recently with the Western Church, I refuse to allow it to affect my work,” she assured smoothly, brushing a hand through Byleth's wild hair.

Seteth followed his sister’s attention and stared at the girl in her arms quizzically. Seeming to notice his stares, Byleth met his gaze before promptly burying her face in Rhea’s shoulder. Feeling the girl’s nose brush against the space between her shoulder and neck made the archbishop huff softly. “There is no need to be nervous, my dearest. This is Seteth, he is my brother,” she giggled.

The little girl in her arms moved back slightly to look into Rhea’s bright green eyes before looking to Seteth as if assessing him. She looked back and forth between them a few more times before settling on Seteth. “You both got green hair,” she pointed out.

The archbishop giggled as she nodded and placed a kiss to the child’s teal hair. “That we do, Byleth.”

_“I suppose that would be my doing, seeing as I birthed the lot of you,”_ Sothis mused from over her shoulder.

Rhea turned to respond only to pause when Seteth tensed in surprise, his eyes wide and jaw slack. Ever so slowly, he moved to look at their mother with a look of pure shock. Sothis, in turn, tilted her head, appearing just as confused as her son. “Mother?” he whispered hoarsely.

Silence permeated the air as the three Nabateans stared at one another in slack jawed confused. Eventually, Sothis spoke. _“Well, I did not foresee this development,”_ she marveled.

~~~~

“You mean to say that you created not one or two, but twelve beings to act as vessels for our mother and then, when one fell pregnant, transferred the Crest stone of Flames to the infant in order to save her at the cost of her mother? And you did all of this, not because you wished to revive Mother but because you loved your ‘daughter’? I apologies if I sound skeptical, Rhea, but I have known you for millennia and I know how badly Mother’s death affected you,” Seteth griped, his face contorted in barely concealed rage.

Rhea simply stood and accepted her brother’s words. It was best to let him rant before properly explaining everything to him. Sothis, on the other hand, played Tea Party with Byleth and her assortment of dolls. The goddess glanced at her children worriedly but knew there was nothing she could say yet to assuage Seteth’s anger. Instead, she held her tea cup out to Byleth. _“May I have some more please?”_ she asked. The little girl smiled brightly and poured pretend tea into her cup.

Upon realizing that Seteth could in fact see and hear Sothis, Rhea had quickly relocated them to her private quarters and asked Jeralt to stand guard while they spoke. Flayn kindly waited outside alongside the knight to allow brother and sister to speak in private. Part of Rhea wanted Flayn to be present for their discussion, but she thought better of it upon realizing how overwhelmed Byleth may become by the number of strangers in her safe place. All she wanted was for her granddaughter to be safe and that included keeping her from Seteth’s anger.

“Please, Seteth, let me explain. I admit that, at first, everything I did was to resurrect Mother. I gave up after Sitri because I truly believed it was impossible to bring Mother back to us. I loved her just as you love Cethleann. When she became pregnant, I was so happy. When she asked me to sacrifice her life for the sake of her child, it hurt so much. I wanted both of them to live but I didn’t have that power. When her child, Byleth, awoke alive and well, my first thought was that Mother had been returned to us,” she confessed. For a moment, she cast her gaze over to where her mother picked up an armored stuffed bear and asked Byleth in a deep voice about their fake pastries. Watching her granddaughter speaking animatedly with her ethereal mother made a smile bloom across Rhea’s face. “In the end, I was right, but at the same time I wasn’t.’

“Mother soothed Byleth, who I’d been calling Mother since her first cry, and begged me to recognize that she and Byleth were two different people. She reminded me that I had truly loved Sitri and cared for her. She helped me see past my unrealistic ambitions and enjoy what I had left of my daughter.” Rhea met Seteth’s gaze, her own eyes blazing with confidence. “Mother also told me a great many things about the future and how we must work to change it.”

“You honestly think I will believe any of what you have said? You have gone mad with grief, Seiros! What you need is sleep- “

_“That is enough Cichol.”_

Seteth- Cichol- froze at the sound of his true name and looked to where their mother still sat amongst a number of dolls. Byleth paused in her playing to glance at the Nabateans curiously before picking up her armored bear and hugging it close to her chest. Picking up on the child’s anxiety, Sothis floated over and wrapped her in a soft embrace. _“Worry not, my little flame, all will be well. My children simply need to let off some steam,”_ she grinned, rubbing her cheek against her vessel’s.

Her brilliant emerald eyes gazed at her children thoughtfully. _“Cichol, I can assure you that Seiros has begun healing from her grief with the help of Byleth and myself. There are moments when her grief still overwhelms her, but she knows that I am here should she ever need to speak with me about her feelings,”_ she explained gently, silently imploring for her son to understand.

Then her gaze hardened. _“What she says of the future is also true. I am the Beginning. All of time is revealed to me. What I wish to do is protect the future for the children of Fodlan and the rest of the world by working to ensure certain events do not come to pass. I know I am asking much, but I do not want to watch Byleth suffer yet again. Four lifetimes were enough.”_

Cichol blinked in confusion. “Four lifetimes? Mother, I do not understand,” he stammered. 

Sothis shook her head. _“I must admit that there are things that even I do not understand, however I do know that in all the futures I have seen, Byleth and those who will surround her will all suffer unless I do this,”_ she explained. 

Without her noticing, a single tear glided down Sothis’s cheek. While Byleth could only remember some of her lives in her dream, the goddess remembered every joy and heartache her vessel experienced even after the two had merged. At the feeling of a warm hand touching her cheek, Sothis looked to her little flame who stared at her sadly, as though she knew what she was thinking about. “Don’t cry, Sothi,” she encouraged cheerily, snuggling closer to the ethereal goddess. More tears glistened in her eyes unbidden as she happily accepted the child’s hugs.

Cichol could only watch as his mother held the child- her vessel- with the tenderness she had shown to him and his sibling when they were young. He wanted to believe what his mother had said, but he still worried for Seiros, possibly more so than he was willing to admit. He glanced to his sister and froze at the look of sheer love that glistened in her eyes as she watched their mother and the girl cuddle.

Eventually, a heavy sigh left his body, deflating his shoulders. “I am willing to act as your assistant, sister, so long as you swear to me that you will keep me informed on anything involving these matters,” he announced.

Seiros looked to her brother in surprise before a brilliant smile lit her face. “Thank you, brother, I would greatly appreciate your assistance. There is much we have to do to ensure Fodlan changes for the better,” she admitted.

Sothis watched as brother and sister began to speak of possible church reforms before promptly settling beside Byleth and holding out a tea cup to her. _“May I have another?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I noticed that it never says when specifically Flayn arrived at Garreg Mach, although it does say that Seteth arrived at the monastery in the year 1162. So my head canon for this fic is going to be that Seteth left Flayn in Zanado for a period of time to see his wife and keep up to date. Flayn was able to tell, in her sleep, whenever her father left on one of his trips, hence her fear of being alone. I’m going to say that Flayn only awoke from her slumber around a year before this chapter but because Seteth is an over protective father, he didn’t let her leave Zanado until they received a letter from Rhea.
> 
> Yes, Byelth has nicknames for everyone: Rhea is Ray-Ray, Jeralt is Baba and Sothis is Sothi.
> 
> Also, yes, Jeralt got her an armored bear for her birthday.


	5. Chapter 4- The Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is literally just a continuation of the last chapter. It's Flayn time!!

_Imperial Year 1162, 11th day of Guardian Moon_

Flayn glanced uncertainly at the broad-shouldered knight beside her, assessing him carefully while he stared out at the balcony directly across from the room Rhea and her father had disappeared into an hour ago. A few times, she had attempted to start a conversation with the man, speaking of the weather, flowers and even fishing (which she had happily discovered was a pastime of his), but each had lost their momentum after a few minutes. She had learned that his name was Jeralt and he was the father of the little girl Rhea had carried with her. He also knew of Rhea’s true identity, which explained why Rhea trusted him so. 

She was about to broach another topic when the door swung open between them to reveal Rhea. The archbishop looked between her niece and her knight before speaking. “Thank you both for waiting. For the moment, everything has been settled,” she explained. With a sweeping motion, she invited the two into the room.

Jeralt immediately accepted her offer, squeezing past Rhea, while Flayn moved more cautiously. Her aunt smiled at her before following Jeralt, allowing her to take her time as she moved further into the room. Her father sat on a plush bench at the end of Rhea’s bed, one hand pushed into his hair while the other hung limply across his lap. She began to move to his side only to halt at the sight of a small woman with wild green hair curled beside Jeralt’s child. Her green hair was enough to confirm her suspicion, but her long pointed ears made it impossible to dispute.

Sothis. The Goddess and Mother of the Nabateans. How she was here, Flayn did not know, but she was certain her father would explain everything in time. For now, she was more curious about the girl Sothis seemed so attached to.

She watched from afar as Jeralt picked up one of the girl’s dolls and moved it about while the girl giggled. Rhea smiled at the three of them before gracefully lowering herself to the girl’s side and whispered something to her. After a moment, the girl nodded and stood to her feet, still holding a bear dressed as a knight in her arms. As the girl moved, Sothis followed suite, floating so she hung off of Rhea’s shoulder. To her surprise, Rhea moved towards her with the child close behind her. When the girl caught sight of Flayn, she blinked once before hiding behind Rhea’s legs. 

_So cute!_ Flayn squealed inwardly.

“Flayn, I would like to introduce you to Byleth, my granddaughter,” Rhea began, her hand caressing Byleth's hair. “Byleth, this is my niece, Flayn. I hope the two of you can be friends.”  
Byleth peaked out from her hiding place, eyeing Flayn curiously. Recognizing the girl’s shyness, Flayn lowered herself so she was eye level with the girl and gave her the kindest smile she could. “Hello Byleth, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I do hope we can be friends,” she beamed.

For a moment, Byleth just stared at her with her large forget-me-not eyes then slowly began moving out from her hiding spot. She clutched her bear closer to her chest but continued to keep eye contact with Flayn. Eventually, she lifted a hand and offered it to the green-haired girl. She blinked at the proffered hand curiously. “Wanna play tea party?” Byleth mumbled.

_Too cute‼_ Flayn screamed.

Her smile brightened as she carefully placed her hand into the girl’s. “I would love to have tea with you!” she announced.

~~~~~

_15th day of Guardian Moon_

Flayn discovered very quickly that her new friend was not comfortable around crowds of any kind. When Rhea had mentioned the girl’s shyness, she had believed it to be the same child-like shyness that she had experienced at her age but she quickly found that the girl had a near paralyzing fear of new people and large crowds. One trip to the market to buy bait had found Flayn gently soothing the three-year-old as she carried her back to the fishing pond. It was only after two hours of fishing that Byleth had calmed enough to speak again, asking the most adorable questions about the fish swimming below their swinging feet. 

During one particularly overcast day, Flayn decided to introduce Byleth to another of her friends. The three-year-old held tight to the green-haired girl’s hand as they entered a part of the Monastery that smelled similar to the stables, although the noises coming from within the stalls was noticeably different. Moving towards the stall at the far end, Flayn gently coaxed her friend to join her as she swung the gate open. “There is nothing to fear, we are here to meet a friend of mine. I am certain that the two of you will get along!” she assured, nearly bouncing with anticipation.

Byleth looked up at the older girl curiously but followed her into the stall nonetheless.

“Byleth, allow me to introduce you to Emer,” Flayn said, sweeping her arm out to reveal a great cedar brown Wyvern who peered at them with wide amber eyes. “Emer, this is my new friend, Byleth.”

The great beast moved forward, giving Flayn’s outstretched hand a friendly nuzzle before looking to the younger girl and tilting her head slightly. To Flayn’s amusement, Byleth stared up at Emer with wide forget-me-not eyes that seemed to sparkle with awe. Before she could say any words of encouragement, Emer lowered her head to sniff the little girl, puffing her hair as she breathed. At one particularly heavy huff, Byleth burst into a fit of giggles before reaching out to touch the wyvern’s nose. 

Suddenly, Flayn’s heart stopped as she realized the error she had made. In her excitement, she had completely forgotten to warn her young friend about Emer’s wariness of strangers. Her father frequently told her a rather gruesome tale about an unsuspecting stable hand who had touched the great beast suddenly and soon found himself without a hand. Fear chilled her veins as she watched with bated breath to see what the wyvern would do. Unconsciously, she began the incantation for a Rescue spell if it appeared her scaly friend intended to lash out.

To her relief, and her surprise, Emer gave a loud purr as she nuzzled the little girl, pushing past her hands to nuzzle Byleth's stomach. The girl’s giggles turned into shrieking laughter as she ran her hands across the cedar beast’s scaly head and nuzzled her back. Flayn’s fears quickly melted away, being swiftly replaced by curiosity. For as long as she had known Emer, she had only been so affectionate with her father. She had always been sweet to Flayn, but never as affectionate as she was being to Byleth. 

“Flayn! Emmie’s giving me a hug!” Byleth squealed.

Blinking out of her stupor, Flayn look to her friend and gasped at the sight of the teal haired girl cradled in the wyvern’s leathery wings. Emer’s purr had intensified as she cradled the little girl closer to her, cooing softly as though she were soothing a hatchling. For a moment, Flayn watched as beast and child interacted before finally joining in their fun. “That she is. She is a truly sweet wyvern, is she not?” she asked.

Byleth nodded enthusiastically. 

For the next hour, the two sat within Emer’s stall as Flayn recounted the feeling of soaring through the skies while Byleth watched on in awe. Their time came to a sudden end at the sound of her father’s calling. “We are here,” she called out, a hint of concern roiling in her gut as her father’s seemingly frantic cries.

Within moments, Seteth appeared at the stall and looked in shock at Emer and Byleth before turning his gaze to Flayn. “I was looking for you both everywhere. I had believed you would be at the fishing pond as you usually are but when I did not see either of you…” Seteth trailed off, his face grim.

The concern in her gut turned to dread. “Has something happened,” she asked, cautiously peeking out before adding, “Father?”

His face grew pinched as he glanced to Byleth then back to Flayn, nodding ever so slightly. “Lady Rhea has asked that we return you two to Captain Jeralt’s office until the matter is dealt with,” he whispered quietly enough for only Flayn to hear him.

She nodded slightly before looking to her friend and trying to decide how best to convince her to leave the aerie without causing a fuss. Then an idea, a very simple yet effective one, popped into her head. “Byleth?” she called sweetly. The girl’s head turned towards her, tilting curiously. “Would you like to have a tea party? I have been informed that we are permitted to use your father’s office for it.”

Byleth's face lit up like a star.

~~~~~

It was only when dinner time came around that Flayn understood her father’s worry.

A man had managed to sneak into the Monastery and attempted to assassinate Rhea during what would have been her normal tea time with Byleth and Jeralt. The man had been subdued by the Archbishop, who had been understandably enraged, before ordering Seteth to confirm her granddaughter and niece’s whereabouts in case there had been any other intruders.

Flayn watched from afar as Rhea sat on the floor with her granddaughter atop her lap as they ate their dinner in silence. Byleth appeared confused and concerned by the foreboding atmosphere that surrounded Rhea and didn't speak a word. From outside the door, she could just make out the voices of her father and Jeralt discussing future precautions. Had it been any other day, she would have snapped that she was not a fragile thing to be protected, but for today, she would allow them to be overprotective.

Eventually, she had had enough of the somber silence and plopped herself opposite of Rhea with a bright smile. “Lady Rhea, would you care to hear what Byleth and I did today? It was most thrilling,” she beamed.

Rhea blinked while her granddaughter’s eyes brightened. Within moments, both Nabateans were engrossed in Byleth's descriptions of Emer and her recounting of Flayn’s stories. By the end of the night, every member of their little family was smiling and laughing, their troubles forgotten at least for the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've seen the head canon floating around about how Wyverns view the Nabateans as their bigger, dragon cousins and instinctually respect them as a result of that so I thought I'd go with that cause who doesn't love Wyvern cuddles. We got to see a little of Jeralt and Seteth being part of the "Overprotective Dad Squad" but I'm thinking of maybe adding in little paralogues of their support conversations together. I don't know if I will do it or not, but I could see them bonding over fishing and whatnot.
> 
> Emer is the wife of Cu Chulainn from Irish mythology and means "swift". I personally love Cu Chulainn and I love how they depict him in the Fate series so I thought why not give him some love here too.
> 
> Also, Flayn is trying to be "best big sister".


	6. Chapter 5- The First Strike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A departure to quell a threat while another goes unnoticed, albeit not to the gaze of a Goddess.

_Imperial Year 1162, 2nd day of Pegasus Moon_

“Are you certain that you wish to do this?” Rhea asked.

Jeralt sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. They had had this conversation at least once a day for almost the past two weeks, ever since the day of the failed assassination on Rhea. It had barely taken them two days to get the assassin to spill his guts but longer to confirm the information he had given them. A branch of the Western Church was making a retaliation against the Central Church in the name of the Goddess and trying to kill the Archbishop had been one part of it. The other had been to kidnap the Archbishop’s granddaughter- his daughter- and use her as insurance. Hearing that had made Jeralt’s rage bloom anew. Threatening Rhea was one thing, threatening his daughter was a death wish.

“Believe me, I’m certain,” he said, adjusting the straps on his saddle as he spoke. “They’ve been trying to get to Byleth since they found out about her. I don’t know if they know she’s actually related to you or not, but I’m not taking any chances. Those bastards have had enough free reign, it’s time someone tie them down.”

The Archbishop flinched at the way he growled at the end of his words. The Blade Breaker was taking this threat seriously and the moment he set his mind to something, he didn’t stop until he completed his mission or he died trying. For a moment, Rhea wanted to talk him down, convince him to stay at Garreg Mach with his daughter and let Alois lead the charge but she knew it was futile. She had seen much the same with herself back in days long past.

She cast her eyes over to the rest of their family; Seteth stood tall beside Flayn who held little Byleth's hand while the girl clutched at the armored bear she loved so much and at her shoulder floated Sothis who watched on with sullen eyes. For a moment, she met her mother’s eyes before looking to her granddaughter and noticed her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her heart clenched at the sight, but she turned back to Jeralt before she could be overwhelmed by the urge to soothe the child. “Please, just make sure you come back to us,” she resigned.

Jeralt blinked, his brows peaking in surprise before he set his jaw and nodded. “Always,” he declared.

She nodded once before stepping away, watching as Seteth took her place. Jeralt met the eyes of his “father-in-arms”, watching as the man offered his arm. “I will protect her as though she were my own, you have my word,” Seteth assured solemnly. 

Jeralt glanced at the green-haired Wyvern rider’s hand before grasping his forearm tightly. “Thank you,” he said. “If it isn’t too much trouble, could you take her fishing when you have time? I know she loves watching the fish with your kid.”

“Of course.” With that, Seteth stepped back to join his sister and daughter.

_One left,_ he realized inwardly.

Looking towards his little girl, his throat tightened at the tears she barely kept from falling as she clenched her bear so tightly her knuckles turned white. He knelt down to his little girl’s height and opened his arms for her. That invitation was enough for her as she let go of Flayn’s hand and barreled into her father’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, memorizing the feel of her in his arms knowing that he wouldn’t hold her for almost a month. “I am going to miss you so much. I swear I will be back as soon as possible,” he breathed, pressing his lips to her unruly hair as she clung to him.

Wetness began seeping through his tunic as Byleth began shaking slightly. Goddess, he hated this. He hated seeing his daughter cry. He hated even more that he was the cause of her tears. To his surprise, she pulled away first. “Pinky,” she mumbled, holding her smallest digit out to him.

For a heartbeat, he blinked in confusion before realizing what she wanted. He lifted his own pinky and wrapped it around her own. “Promise,” he replied. His eyes stung as his daughter removed herself from his embrace and ran back to Rhea, who lifted the girl into her arms with ease. Before he could second guess himself, he swung onto his horse’s back and turned to his knights. “Let’s go!” he called.

~~~~~

_“They have begun making their move.”_

Rhea blinked in surprise. The room had been mostly silent, save for the patter of rain against the window and Byleth's soft breathing. It had taken longer than usual to settle the girl because of how much she already missed her father and Rhea had assured her granddaughter that she would remain by her side until her dreams claimed her. Yet, by the window floated Sothis who stared out at the barely visible world with contemplating eyes.

Slowly, so not to disturb the sleeping girl, Rhea raised herself to sit. “’They’? Do you mean the Agarthans?”

The goddess tilted her head in thought then nodded, her eyes never leaving the rain splattered window pane. _“The plague in Faerghus, that is their doing. I would also be willing to bet that they are responsible for the Western Church’s sudden interest in Byleth, although I have no proof.”_

“What should we do? Unless Faerghus requests the Church’s aid, we have no reason to intervene especially if they believe it to be no more than a plague,” Rhea reasoned, her teeth worrying the inside of her cheek.

At that, Sothis turned with a slight smirk dancing across her features. _“Worry not, daughter mine, we now have a just cause to travel to Fhirdiad.”_

Rhea tilted her head curiously, waiting for her mother to elaborate only for the goddess to turn back to the window. _A reason to travel to Fhirdiad? What could it be?_ she pondered as and lowered herself into the bed’s embrace and allowed sleep to claim her.

~~~~~

“Lady Rhea will be traveling to Fhirdiad to bless the heir apparent of the Holy Kingdom! Is that not exciting?” Flayn asked, bouncing slightly in her excitement.

Byleth stared at the older girl, her brows furrowed. “Heir… apparent?” she asked confusedly. 

“They shall inherit the crown of Fearghus should the current king step down. It is a truly joyous occasion indeed! We must celebrate with a feast of fish!” she exclaimed, brandishing her fishing pole as though it were a sacred weapon.

For a moment, Byleth stared at her friend before picking up a fishing pole and mimicking her stance. “Feast!” she cheered.

From the steps of the dining hall, Seteth buried his face into his hands, trying desperately to contain his laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE!!! Final exams are finally over and done with so I finally have time to post some new chapters. I give no guarentees for when new chapter will be released but I'm hoping to do one a week. 
> 
> So, it was obvious that Jeralt would have to depart from the Monastery to continue his duties as a Knight of Seiros so I thought I'd rip the bandage off before I started crying. Sothis knows I tend to drag things out unnecessarily. 
> 
> Flayn and Byleth are Fish Buddies. Seteth is being an awesome dad while trying not to laugh. (They are basically Tohru, Kanna and Miss Kobayashi!)
> 
> I'll probably do a C-Support for Jeralt and Seteth next.


	7. Chapter 5.5- C-Support: The Fathers-in-Arms Unite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welp, as promised: C-Support between Jeralt and Seteth. 
> 
> Also, HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

_ Imperial Year 1162, 13th day of Guardian Moon _

It was unusual for Jeralt to be away from his daughter for a long period of time. Normally his day consisted of paperwork, training new recruits, lunch with Byleth then more paperwork, although he did manage to find sometime to fish during the day. For a time, he had been wary of letting his daughter join him for fear of her falling into the pond but now that she was more motorly adept, he saw no reason to worry. When the week had begun, he had been looking forward to sitting on the dock with his little girl and watching her eyes light up as fish flashed past. 

Now, he was sitting alone.

Grumbling under his breath, he baited his hook and cast it into the pond with an annoyed frown. He appreciated Rhea’s idea of inviting Seteth and his daughter to the monastery to help out, but he found himself resenting little Flayn for stealing his daughter away from him. Were he a little less annoyed, he would have admitted that Flayn was actually helping out a lot with bringing Byleth out of her shell, but he couldn’t help feeling annoyed that his daughter’s time was being taken up by another. 

_ Oh no, is this what it’s gonna feel like when it’s a boy? I’m not ready for that,_ he groaned. 

In the midst of his bemoaning, a particularly sly fish took the opportunity to snatch his bait from the hook. “Shit!” he growled, yanking the rod back to retrieve the now naked hook. His scowl deepened as took hold of the offending bit of metal, glaring at it as though it had insulted him. 

“I suppose they are rather greedy today, wouldn’t you say?” a voice questioned from behind him.

Jeralt turned halfway around, face still set into a scowl as he found himself facing Seteth. The apparent Wyvern Rider surveyed his equipment with a curious eye before meeting Jeralt’s glare with an unreadable look. “Apologies if I startled you,” he added upon seeing the man’s glare.

Jeralt found himself snorting. “Please, takes a lot more than you to startle me,” he groused, turning back to face the pond. 

To his surprise, the archbishop’s aid moved to sit on the peer, a rod clutched in one hand. He moved a bit awkwardly, as though it had been sometime since he’d held a rod, as he settled in with his legs dangling off the dock. Jeralt found himself scrutinizing the green haired man as he lifted the rod and cast out the line without baiting the hook. For a moment, Jeralt just stared at the man who stared out at the pond with a neutral expression. 

“Uh, you know you’re supposed to bait the hook before you cast it, right?” Jeralt asked, honestly confused.

Seteth, to his credit, did not seem at all fazed by the question. “I do know, I’ve just never done it myself.” He paused before adding, “My wife used to bait it for me.”

_ Oh. And now I’m an ass,_ Jeralt grimaced, mentally beating his head against a wall.

Silence settled over them, both men staring out at the pond’s murky depths. Jeralt pondered his potential actions before he found himself moving. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a worm and offered it to Seteth. The man blinked at the offered bait, one eyebrow raising in question. “I can teach you how to bait your line, if you want to learn,” he explained.

Seteth’s eyes widened slightly before he scrutinized the worm, a look of consideration before reaching out and accepting the wiggling creature. With his hand now freed, Jeralt reached into his bag once more and drew out a worm for himself. “Watch what I do and try to copy me, I can give you more tips if you need them,” he said.

For the next few minutes, the two men sat in relative silence, the green-haired man watching the captain’s calloused hands as they delicately danced around the hook, tying the bait in place. 

Eventually, Seteth found himself with a worm tied a bit messily to his hook. With narrowed eyes, he scrutinized his work. “I believe this could have gone better,” he muttered crossly.

To his surprise, Jeralt found himself chuckling. “Practice makes perfect, you’ll just have to start fishing with me more,” he joked, lightly nudging the man with his elbow.

Seteth raised a brow at him, clearly not used to the gesture, before the tiniest of grins spread across his face. “I suppose I could. I know Flayn would enjoy the fish greatly.”

“Byleth too,” Jeralt smirked. 

They remained on the dock until Flayn and Byleth came around, giggling excitedly upon catching sight of their fathers’ combined haul. Both men smiled as the girls ooed and awed at the shimmering mass of scales and fins, sharing a satisfied glance with one another. 

_Maybe this guy isn’t as bad as I thought, _ Jeralt decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years everyone!!
> 
> I will sadly be busy for the rest of the month so I may not be posting much. On the side, I've also done some drawing for what I believe Byleth would look like by the time the game timeline begins but I'm not certain if I'll post it anywhere.
> 
> I took inspiration for this chapter from a comic someone made. I don't have an actual link to it, but just looking up "Jeralt and Seteth C-Rank Comic" and you'll likely find it.
> 
> Have a Happy 2020 everyone!!


	8. Chapter 6- The Beginnings of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Change does not happen overnight... or does it?

_Imperial Year 1163, Twelfth day of Harpstring Moon_

“King Lambert agreed to keep us informed on this new ‘holy woman’ who cured the plague?” Seteth asked, passing a new sheath of paper to the Archbishop to review.

Rhea nodded her head slightly, taking the papers to peruse. Her trip to the Holy Kingdom had been more fruitful than she had first believed. Seeing the plague created by the Agarthans for herself had been extremely informative, although it had been discouraging when her magic had been unable to do anything more than lessen the pain of those afflicted. The former Adrestian researcher had been a welcome surprise, although she got the feeling that not all was as it seemed. It had been easy enough to test whether the woman was an Agarthan or not, but she feared the Agarthans might attempt to use her to gain access to the royal family. In order to appease her own fears, she had asked King Lambert in confidence to keep her informed should Cornelia’s personality or ambitions change suddenly. It was always best to be at least one step ahead of their adversaries. 

Her eyes roved over the report, a sigh leaving her as she read. “Has Jeralt already submitted his report for his mission last month?” she prompted. Seteth shuffled through his papers before presenting her a packet of papers. “My thanks,” she grinned.

After a few minutes of reading, Rhea lifted her head and glanced around her office as though she had just realized something. “Seteth, where are Flayn and Byleth?”

~~~~~

“These are the Four Saints that accompanied Seiros during the war against the King of Liberation, Nemesis,” Flayn announced with a sweep of her arm. 

The beautifully made statues of the Saints stood proudly in a room of their own, brandishing their weapons as though they were ready to go to battle. Byleth had honestly seen these statues many, many times but for some reason listening to Flayn talk about them did not feel redundant or boring. Something about the way she spoke about each Saint made Byleth hunger for more. 

Her eyes roved over each statue before she settled on the statue of a man wielding a lance, much like her father used. Ever so slightly, her head tilted as she scrutinized the bronze man. Something about the way he held the lance and cast his gaze over an unseen battlefield was familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. It was only when Flayn danced around to stand before the statue that an ember of recognition flicker to life. “It’s Setty!” she exclaimed, pointed at the statue excitedly. 

Flayn faltered, her eyes growing impossibly wide as she processed what exactly her friend had said. “N-No, Byleth, that is Saint Cichol. There is certainly no way that is my father,” she explained, her voice rising an octave as she flapped her hands about. 

Head tilting in confusion, Byleth watched as Flayn tried to reason that the statue was not, in fact, Seteth. From her spot floating beside her, Sothis placed her chin into the palm of one hand to scrutinize the statue for herself. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke up. _“I must admit, the resemblance is quite striking,”_ she reasoned.

Within a heartbeat, Flayn’s face paled. 

_“Although,”_ she continued, _“this statue of Cichol is noticeably younger than Seteth, wouldn’t you agree?”_

Neither girl spoke, instead they stared at the petite goddess with varying degrees of confusion. Eventually, Flayn took hold of Byleth's little hand and led her out of the room, completely ignoring the goddess’s attempts to stop them. 

_“I jest! I jest! There is no need to- “_

“Ah, there you two are.”

Jeralt glanced between his daughter and her green-haired friend with a grin. “Just tell me you two aren’t getting into too much trouble while I was working,” he insisted with a chuckle.

Before Flayn could speak, Byleth beat her to it. “We saw a statue of Setty!” she exclaimed, pointing back to the room where the Saint statues stood. 

The Captain regarded his daughter for a moment before shaking his head. “Let me guess, the statue of Saint Cichol, right? I thought the same when I first saw Seteth. Pretty big shock when I learned that he had a Major Crest of the Saint too.”

“Ah-well-that is!” Flayn squeaked.

“Crest?” Byleth asked, her head tilting curiously.

Flayn instantly took the opportunity to change the subject. “A Crest is the power the Goddess granted to the people of Fodlan to combat Nemesis and protect the people. Each of the Saints had a Crest of their own as did a number of other individuals,” she explained.

Byleth stared at her friend for a long moment, the gears in her head seeming to turn slowly before they clicked into place. “Crests are why that man’s sister died,” she said.

A cold silence settled around the three- four, rather- as the older beings tried to comprehend what the little bluette had just said. Slowly, Jeralt knelt in front of his daughter and took her shoulder into his large hands, not even noticing how they trembled. “Honey,” he said softly, “where did you hear that from?”

The girl stared at her father with wide, innocent eyes. “A man told me,” she explained. “He said she died because someone wanted a Crest.”

“And where did you meet this man?” he pressed.

She shrugged. “Don’t know. He was weird, but really funny! He said I was ‘asounding’!”

Her father shook his head, the tension leaving his shoulders. “I think you mean ‘astounding’, Byleth,” he corrected then turned to look at Flayn. “Any idea who she’s talking about?”

Flayn shook her head, her tight corkscrews bouncing against her cheeks. “I know of no man like that, and I have dutifully remained by her side every hour of every day.”

Jeralt rubbed his beard, unsure of what to think. “Hey, By, did he say anything else? His name maybe?”

Byleth thought for a moment then beamed. “He said he had a Crest of Indech.”

~~~~~

“You believe that Byleth saw the future?” Jeralt asked confusedly, staring at Rhea as if she’d grown a second head.

The Archbishop sighed, casting a quick glance to her mother before turning back to her Captain. “It is the only thing that makes any sense, seeing as she vividly remembered these events that no one else knew of. I suspect it is the power of the Crest Stone within her that has given her this power,” she reasoned, cradling her chin thoughtfully.

Off to the side, Sothis nodded. _“I cannot explain how she recalled these events other than that the time that man’s sister is to die is less than a year away. Perhaps it is this that caused her dormant memories to resurface,”_ she explained, cradling her own chin as she floated about.

“So then, there is a woman out there who is going to die because her husband wants her to birth a Crest-bearing child? What the hell are we supposed to do about that?” Jeralt asked, confusion and anger marring his facial features. 

For a moment, Rhea remained silent then looked up to meet Jeralt’s gaze. “Jeralt, I ask that you be honest with me,” she requested, “are there truly people in the world who see Crests as nothing more than a symbol of status?”

The man’s eyes widened before they darted to the floor. Just from his body language, she knew the answer.

_“It is not a surprise, if I am to be honest,”_ Sothis announced. _“People look to the power of the Goddess as a blessing and revere it, crave it. It is human nature to try and gain possession of what others have. Long ago, Crests were a weapon of war and now they are a weapon of politics and status.”_

Rhea’s fists clenched, the papers beneath them crinkling as her anger took root. Millenia ago, her family had died so greedy humans could obtain their power in the form of Crests. Now, human were no different and she hadn’t even realized it. How could she have been so blind to the world around her? Something in her chest clenched painfully. _There will not be another Red Canyon, never again,_ her heart roared.

“Seteth, I need you to gather all reports from the Adrestian Empire and look for what Houses have any children possessing the Crest of Indech,” she ordered, rising from her seat with a clatter.

Both Jeralt and Seteth flinched at her sudden proclamation. Seeming to sense her resolve, Seteth bowed and moved to gather the requested documents. Jeralt, in the meantime, looked between her and her assistant with his brows drawn. Eventually, he turned to address the Archbishop. “What are you planning, Rhea?”

She looked to him, her eyes blazing with determination. “I plan to right the wrong I set in motion,” she declared sternly.

His brows rose at the emotion in her voice. It was rare for her to let any of her feelings slip past her calm, Archbishop’s mask. As his brows came down, a knowing smirk appeared. “How can I help?” he asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ai Dios Mio, this took forever!! I now know what it feels like to work a full time job but it actually isn't too bad...
> 
> I did a little research for this chapter but I couldn't figure out if or when Hanneman told Byleth anything about his past. I'm just kind of making this up since there is a lot that, I assume, goes on outside of the Support conversations we see in game. I think this conversation would have likely happened after their A-rank support, maybe even in the post-game.
> 
> Sothis can be a bit of a troll, but she means well :)
> 
> I'm really excited for the Cindered Shadows DLC, but I think for the sake of my own sanity I will pretend that this DLC doesn't exist for this story. 
> 
> Until next time!!


	9. Chapter 7- The Start of Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A life is saved, finally.

_Imperial Year 1164, 23rd day of Horsebow Moon_

The peaks of the Oghma mountains cast great shadows across Garreg Mach, the shade granting the Knights on duty a moments reprieve from the day’s heat. From the base of the stairs leading to the monastery’s entrance hall, Elise von Essar, held tightly to her older brother’s arm while her five children gazed up at the building with wide eyes. Hanneman lifted a hand to his chin, stroking his short beard thoughtfully. “I must say, it is grander than I remember it being,” he announced, looking to his sister for confirmation.

“It-it is quite a sight,” she agreed, her voice stuttering slightly. Turning her eyes away from Hanneman, she turned to gaze up at the balcony that overlooked the marketplace. Some part of her still couldn’t believe how fortunate she had been that the Archbishop herself had decided to take Hanneman’s concerns for her health seriously and finally free her from her husband’s abuse. _I suppose I should get used to calling him my ex-husband now, _ she thought distantly. 

As her gaze lingered on the balcony, a flash of two rounded faces peered through the railing before ducking back out of sight. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. She’d known the Church housed a number of orphans, but she hadn’t though they were allowed in what she believed was the Archbishop’s private quarters. I will have to ask Lady Rhea about those two when I next meet her, she decided.  
“Are you ready, sister?” her brother asked kindly, gently patting her hand where it lay in the crook of his elbow. 

Lifting her head, she smiled at Hanneman. “I believe I am.”

~~~~~

Flayn wheezed as she collapsed to the ground, her heart hammering in her chest. While she may once have flown using her own wings and she enjoyed riding upon Emer a great deal, looking out between the stone railing of Rhea’s balcony had made her life flashed before her eyes. “We must never do that again,” she insisted breathlessly.

From her place knelt near the railing, Byleth glanced to her friend in confusion. “Why? We wanted to see the new people and we did,” she stated matter of factly.

Carefully, the green-haired girl propped herself up and gazed at her young ward with wary eyes. “That may be, but I do not believe the fear I felt was worth the glance we managed,” she tried to reason with the girl. Byleth continued to stare at her in her five-year-old way, her head tilting ever so slightly in confusion. Over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of Lady Sothis peering over the railing and kicking her feet about in excitement. With a shake of her head, she carefully stood and held a hand out for Byleth to take. “We have seen them, now we must greet them properly,” she announced.

The tiniest of smiles bloomed across the young girl’s face as she bounced to her feet and eagerly grabbed hold of Flayn’s hand. From her place atop the railings, Sothis grinned cheekily as her kin ran to meet the new arrivals. She gazed after them for a moment before glancing back at where Hanneman and his sister were ascending the stairs. _“Finally, our struggles have borne fruit. I pray that this will be the first of many to flourish from our resolve,”_ she whispered hopefully.

~~~~~

Archbishop Rhea shown like a saint from her place at the head of the audience chamber. Her regalia caught the sunlight perfectly and accented her features to make her appear both beautiful and deadly. On her left stood her aid, Seteth, eyes surveying the von Essar family while on her right stood a large man donning the symbol of Seiros, his face kind yet scarred. For a moment, Elise felt as though she were looking upon Saint Seiros herself, flanked by her loyal retainers. 

“I welcome you all to Garreg Mach Monastery, know that I mean it when I say that I am so happy to see you all in good health,” Rhea said, addressing the elder von Essars specifically. 

Hanneman inclined his head in a slight bow while Elise attempted to curtsy while still cradling her youngest child to her chest. A quick glance at her older children showed them trying to mimic their elders with mixed results. “It is our honor, Lady Rhea. You have no idea how grateful we are to you,” Hanneman countered. “Were it not for your queries, my sister might no longer be with us.”

A small smile graced the Archbishop’s face as she inclined her head. “I would accept your gratitude, but I am afraid that I am rather undeserving of such things, for I am not the one who thought it wise to seek you out, Lord Essar.”

Elise blinked in surprise. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that her brother was equally confused. He physically shook himself out of his stupor before he spoke again. “I am afraid that I do not quite understand, Lady Rhea. I was under the impression that the Goddess sent you a revelation of my sister’s plight. Was I, perhaps, mistaken?”

To her surprise, Lady Rhea looked uncertain. Her pale eyes exchanged glances with the men at her sides, both looking almost equally uncertain. She could have sworn she saw the Archbishop working her lower lip in thought before turning her attention forward again. “You are not wrong, we did receive a revelation but I was not the one who saw it, rather it was-”

“Apologies! We are late! It is most improper of us to be so late,” a voice exclaimed from the entrance of the chamber.

Elise could feel all the eyes in the room turning to see who had spoken. A young green-haired girl, likely in her pre-teens or perhaps younger, carefully closed the doors behind herself and her younger blue-haired companion. Both wore clothes reminiscent of the Officer Academy students Hanneman had pointed out to her when they had been led to the audience chamber and held themselves similar to how she once had when she was their age. _ Orphans, perhaps? No, what reason would they have for being here now?_ Elise pondered. When the younger of the girls turned to survey the room’s occupants, she felt her heart stutter as her forget-me-not depths gazed into her. She knew those eyes, albeit she wasn’t quite sure where from.

“Ah, Flayn, Byleth, I did not realize you both would be joining us,” Rhea breathed, her voice a balm to the stiffness of the room. “Seteth was looking for you earlier but he couldn’t find you.”

The younger girl- Byleth? Or was she Flayn? - quickly moved further into the chamber, walking confidently past the von Essars before holding her hands up to Rhea, just as Elise’s children often did when they wished to be held. To her shock, the Archbishop complied without hesitation, easily lifting the child into her arms and resting her atop her hip. “We were up in the gardens so we could see the new people,” she explained.

Rhea’s face seemed to blossom like the lilies decorating her hair, her smile growing bigger and warmer than Elise imagined possible. “Is that so? Byleth, you know that you should not have been up there without myself, Seteth or your father watching over you,” she chided gently.

Byleth’s pudgy cheeks puffed out in a slight pout before morphing into a regretful frown. “‘m sorry, Ray-Ray,” she mumbled, the tiniest of tears appearing at the corners of her eyes.

Without pause, the Archbishop placed a kiss onto the girl’s forehead. “I forgive you, my dearest.” After a moment, she turned to address her waiting audience. “I would like to introduce you to my granddaughter, Byleth Eisner, although we have taken to calling her Byleth as per her mother’s wishes,” she explained then beckoned to the green-haired girl who had taken her place beside Seteth. “This is Flayn, she is Seteth’s younger sister as well as Byleth’s governess of sorts. While she is too young to attend the Academy, she is a talented healer and a diligent aid of mine.”

Carefully, she adjusted Byleth so the little girl was facing the von Essars. “If you wish to thank someone, I suggest you thank Byleth. She was the one who received the revelation from the Goddess and informed us of the danger to your life, Lady Elise.”

Sensing the eyes on her, Byleth ducked her head into Lady Rhea’s shoulder in an attempt to hide herself from view. Elise couldn’t quite believe what she had heard. This little girl received a revelation from the Goddess? How can that be? 

Hanneman seemed just as stunned, but recovered much more quickly. “Astounding! Truly astounding! I had always heard that the Archbishop was the only one able to receive messages from the Goddess, yet you say this child was able to hear the call? Amazing! I must ask, does she possess a Crest?”

As he moved to step forward, the larger man immediately moved to become a bulwark between her excited brother and the girl the Archbishop held. “Apologies, Father of Crestology, but I’ll ask that you keep your distance from my daughter,” he explained slowly. While his words were calm and never wavered, the underlying malice sent a shiver down Elise’s spine.

“Papa,” Byleth mumbled, her face raising from Lady Rhea’s shoulder to reveal a pout. “Hannie is a friend.”

The man stared at his daughter for a moment before huffing and moving to take her into his arms. He gazed into her eyes before sighing in defeat and tucking her head beneath his chin. “Alright, I’ll trust him,” he conceded.

From out of the corner of her eye, Elise noticed Lady Rhea and Seteth exchange nods. “I know it may be sudden, but I would like to extend an offer to you and your sister, Lord Essar,” Rhea said. “I wish to offer you the position of Professor at the Officer’s Academy, to teach the next generations of nobles as well as further your research in Crestology.”

To say her brother was ecstatic by the offer would have been a grave injustice. Alongside his new position as Professor, Elise and her children would be allowed to live in the town of Garreg Mach free of charge as part of his benefits. Part of Elise wanted to protest being a freeloader; while she may finally be free from her awful life of house arrest, she preferred to be doing something productive rather than sitting around all day as she had done before.

Thankfully, Lady Rhea seemed to understand her predicament and offered a compromise: whenever she found herself feeling restless, she was welcome to take her children to explore the Monastery as Flayn and Byleth often did.

Outside of her family’s new home, she gazed up at the star speckled sky wistfully. She clasped her hands before her, bowing her head in prayer. “Goddess, while I know not your intentions for me or my family, I offer to you my thanks for sending a revelation to the young Lady Byleth on my behalf. I am truly grateful,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omigod, THANK SOTHIS!!
> 
> I somehow managed to get this done on the day of Cindered Shadows release. The only sad thing is that I can't play it yet because my Switch's MicroSD card is full :'(
> 
> Finally, after five years, Sothis and Byleth's struggles have saved a life, the life of Hanneman's younger sister Elise. Her husband is currently on the defense, claiming that he had done no wrong and went so far as to nullify their marriage so the Church could not charge him with anything. Knowing Seteth, he will find a way to get him arrested though *wink*. 
> 
> Elise is 22 years old and has 6 children: Micha (age 7), Ada (age 6), Gabriel (age 4), Linus (age 3), Magdalene (age 2) and baby Eva (age 1/minor Crest of Indech).
> 
> Also, I wanted to extend a question to my Audience in regards to an event that will happen in a future chapter: With the release of Cindered Shadows, there is also the release of the Dark Flier class (Bless Sothis!) so I was wondering if I should make Byleth into a Dark Flier or a Malig Knight. I'm rather torn on which would be better suited for her: I like the idea of her having a black wyvern, especially because of what I've established about Wyverns being able to sense Nabateans as their Alphas of sorts but I also think having her ride a Pegasus would be unique since Claude also rides a Wyvern, although that may be another reason for her to have a Wyvern herself. 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts in the comments!!


	10. Chapter 8- The Curse/Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Year 1167...
> 
> Things are starting to heat up

_Imperial Year 1167, 30th day of Green Sea Moon_

_“I fear the Agarthans have made their move,”_ Sothis whispered, her cheek cradled in hand.  
Rhea and Seteth looked to their mother in surprise. It had been almost five years since their mother had last mentioned the Agarthans. Although they had kept a close eye on Cornelia, she had shown no sign of being replaced by an Agarthan to the point that Seteth had wondered if they should stop their surveillance. Sothis, however, was persistent and requested that they continue monitoring the court mage for another year and, should nothing change, they would stop. Now though, it seemed they would have another chance.  


The archbishop stood from her seat and approached her mother where she floated languidly over the seating area. “Where are they, Mother? We can send Jeralt and the Knights to apprehend them before-”

_“That is impossible.”_

A shutter ran down the Nabateans’ spines at the sharpness of their mother’s words. Slowly, Seteth joined his sister and looked to his mother with his brows knitted. “What do you mean it is impossible?” he asked.

Sothis sighed as she turned to face her children, her eyes downcast. _“I mean what I have said. It is impossible for us to intervene, lest we cause even more to die,”_ she clarified. _“The Agarthans have taken over House Ordelia and has begun conducting Crest experiments on the children of Count Ordelia. Of them, only one shall survive albeit with two Crest implanted into them. Their life shall be shortened as a result and they will not be the only one.”_

The archbishop felt her heart clench painfully. Implanting Crests. To do so without physically putting a Crest stone into a person’s body or giving them the blood of a Nabatean should be impossible. _Unless they still have some of the blood from our siblings, but I imagine most of it is no longer usable,_ she pondered.

“Why can we not act? Should we not intervene to save these children from their fates? Why is it impossible?” Seteth growled.

_“Because if we intervene, it will cause an even greater change than I could foresee. While I am the Beginning, I have only seen four possible futures. Should we make such a big change, I will become blind to what the future holds and all our efforts would be for naught.”_ She raised her eyes to meet her son’s burning gaze. _“If there were any way to save them, I would, but for the moment we cannot do so without revealing ourselves to them.”_

Seteth wanted to argue, wanted to try and save even one of those children from their fate, but his mother was right. If they made any move to intervene, the Agarthans would take notice. It was only logical that they would question how they knew of the Agarthans presence in Ordelia which in turn may lead them to discovering Lavenza’s existence as Sothis’s reincarnation. Were that to happen…

The goddess watched her children as they struggled with the reality they had been told. Her heart ached as the image of a white-haired girl, smarter than any human she’d met, flashed through her mind. The thought of that girl being forced to endure unspeakable pain… _Lysithea, I beg of you to forgive me._

~~~~~

_Imperial Year 1167, 14th day of Horsebow Moon_

_“Have you still not decided on what you would like for your birthday this year?”_ Sothis inquired curiously.

Byleth took a moment to ponder the question before looking into the ethereal girl’s eyes and shaking her head. Ever since the start of the Horsebow Moon, it seemed as though every person within the walls of Garreg Mach had asked her that very question and the answer had yet to waver. Sothis puffed out her cheeks in a pout at her host’s rather annoyingly predictable response. Being forced to watch her host get asked the same question and replying in the same manner was truly irritating.

Lazily, Sothis floated around in a circle while Byleth continued on her search for food. Both Rhea and Jeralt were busy with work and she hadn’t been able to find Flayn or Seteth so she was eating with Sothis only today. It wasn’t an extremely uncommon occurrence, but it made Byleth a bit lonely whenever it was just the two of them. She loved eating with Sothis even if the green-haired girl couldn’t actually eat any of the food but whenever she spoke with her while she ate, those nearby would give her the strangest looks. In the end, she chose to only talk with Sothis aloud when they were truly alone.

_Although,_ Byleth snuck a glance at her companion, _she seems like something’s on her mind. It’s odd for her to be so quiet._

As she descended the grand staircase towards the marketplace, the sounds of chatter made the air buzz. She had never particularly enjoyed the market, but she did prefer taking the long way to the dining hall so she could stop by and see Papa’s horse at the stables. For a moment, Byleth allowed herself to glance at the busy bustle of the people roaming from stall to stall and paused. Amid the clamor of the townspeople was the shrill chirping of Wyvern hatchlings. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the little beasts huddled close to a weathered old man speaking with- Seteth!

Byleth trotted down the stairs quickly, narrowly avoiding tripping on the last few in her rush. “Setty!” she called out excitedly as she neared the green haired man.

Seteth barely managed to turn around as the almost eight-year-old girl launched herself at his legs, wrapping them into a tight hug. Unsurprisingly, the man managed to keep his balance but the stunned look on his face showed just how startled he was by her appearance. “Byleth! By the Goddess, you nearly made my heart stop! In the future, please give me ample time to ready myself lest my heart truly halt,” he almost begged as his hands found her shoulders.

Dread rushed through her at the thought of Seteth’s heart stopping causing her arms to squeeze his legs a little tighter. She opened her mouth to apologize only to be interrupted by a hearty chuckle. Blinking, she glanced around Seteth’s legs to watch as the old man grinned broadly at the sight before him. “So then, this is the Little Lady of Garreg Mach I’ve been hearing so much about? To think the Goddess would bless me with meeting her,” he chuckled heartily.

Suddenly shy, Byleth buried her face into Seteth’s robes in an attempt to hide from the man’s sight. She felt it when Seteth sighed at her sudden shyness before maneuvering so he was facing the old man again. “Apologies, Manfred, we can continue our business later if it would suit you,” he offered, one of his hands unconsciously patting the girl’s head.

Manfred shook his head, smile broadening upon catching sight of Byleth peeking out at him. “No need for that, I don’t mind if the Little Lady listens in. Who knows, one of these little ones may be hers one day,” he insisted.

Byleth’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the numerous hatchlings that played behind the man. One of those could be hers?

_“That is not a bad thought,”_ Sothis announced from Byleth’s side. _“Wyverns are extremely loyal and remain an ally for life.”_

Seteth’s brow quirked slightly, casting a quick glance at the ghost of his mother before looking to Byleth with a look of uncertainty. The way his hand tightened on her shoulder was enough to let her know how weary he was at the thought. Before he could speak, Byleth pulled herself away from his hold and moved toward the hatchlings. Almost immediately, the hatchlings noticed her presence and snorted curiously as they moved closer to investigate her, their tiny wings flapping slightly. She smiled at them, gently stroking the neck of one and the snout of another before yet another hatchling nudged her for attention, snuffling at her hair with interest.

The sound of Seteth’s sigh of resignation and Manfred’s chuckle were background noise as she enjoyed the attention of the pegasi. They were all cute, their hides all shades of brown and gray with a few sporting paler colors and patterns that made them stand out. She looked at each one with a critical eye, trying to decide which would be hers. Then she caught sight of a rather small hatchling that struggled to get past the others. She watched as it tried to push between two larger Wyverns only to be pushed back, teetering off balance and almost falling to the cobblestones. Unlike the others, its hide was pure black and seemed to shine faintly purple in the sun. _That one,_ she decided.

Gently, she pushed the other hatchlings away from her so she could make her way to the black Wyvern. Seeing her approach, it chirped curiously as though it wasn’t sure what she was doing. Byleth simply watched as its ears flicked back and forth before she reached out a hand. Its brilliant purple eyes widened curiously before it moved its snout forward to sniff her hand. When it nudged her hand for pets, she could have sworn her own heart stopped. She was certain, this was her Wyvern.

Before she could second guess herself, she carefully took hold of its makeshift bridle around its neck and moved towards where the men had resumed their business. She giggled a little as the hatchling eagerly followed her. “Setty! I want this one please,” she announced, gesturing to the black Wyvern for Seteth to inspect.

Seteth turned to her in surprise, his eyes widening at the sight of the black beast. Very slowly, he knelt before Byleth and simply stared at the Wyvern who had begun to snuffle at her hair. “Amazing, I had thought the black variation of Wyvern had gone extinct in Fodlan! Manfred, why did you not show me this one first?” Seteth asked.

Manfred’s face fell as he looked over the black beast. “The reason is ‘cause it hatched premature,” he admitted softly.

Byleth and Sothis tilted their heads in confusion. “Is that a bad thing?” she asked innocently.

“Simply put, he was born too early and hasn’t taken to any of the care we’ve tried to provide him. In all honesty, I wouldn’t recommend him for you, Little Lady.”

“But then what will happen if no one wants him?”

Manfred remained silent. The way his face creased told her everything she needed to know. “Will he die?” she whimpered, tears beginning to gather at the corners of her eyes.

Seeing her in tears, Seteth gently placed his hand atop her head and began slowly carding his fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm her. The little hatchling squawked worriedly, gently rubbed his snout against her cheek, licking up her tears as they fell. Her breath hitched as his tongue gently ran over her cheek and a soft purr rattled from his body. He was so sweet, why did he have to die?

“What is going on here?”

Byleth turned her teary face to Rhea who stood at the base of the stairs with a look of confusion marring her face. Before anyone could speak, she ran to her grandmother and looked up at her through misty eyes, the hatchling following after her dutifully. “Ray-Ray, I want this Wyvern for my birthday!” she sobbed, clutching at the foal’s mane as her voice cracked.

Not caring about appearances, Rhea knelt before her granddaughter and gently wiped at her tears. “Come now, Byleth, there is no need for tears,” she cooed.

The girl hiccupped feebly as Rhea’s gently touches caught the rest of her tears. As the girl began to calm, the Archbishop looked to the little Wyvern that stood at her granddaughter’s side. The little beast spared Rhea a glance before it turned its attention back to the girl and loosed another purr in an attempt to soothe her. 

A small smile graced the archbishop’s features. “He is quite cute, isn’t he?” she pondered.

Byleth nodded her head vigorously.

“You must know, dear one, that caring for another living being is hard work: you must make sure they are fed and healthy and happy. It is a big responsibility. Are you certain you are ready for it?” she asked sweetly.

Again, she nodded her head vigorously. “I won’t let him die because he’s different!” she declared.

Rhea’s eyes widened slightly but she masked it with a warm smile, gently stroking her granddaughter’s hair as her tears finally stopped. Still kneeling, she looked to Manfred with a brilliant smile. “We will take this little one for a thousand gold, if that suits you,” she offered cheerily. 

Manfred sputtered for a moment before nodding shakily as Seteth placed the gold into his hand. He watched dumbly as the archbishop lifted the teal haired Little Lady and moved back toward the monastery, the black hatchling eagerly trotting alongside her with his head craned up to gaze at his new mistress.

“Apologies, Manfred. Shall we get back to business?” Seteth asked.

The man simply nodded, too stunned to speak.

~~~~~

“Rhea, care to explain how my daughter convinced you to buy her a Wyvern?” Jeralt asked. He wasn’t exactly sure if he wanted to know, but the fact that the Archbishop had bought his daughter a dragon was something that his mind couldn’t process.

From where she stood at the gate of one of the stalls, Rhea sighed. “I’m not quite sure what happened before I got there, but Byleth was crying and begged me to buy the hatchling for her,” she explained. After a moment she added, “She did mention something about him dying, which I found odd.”

Jeralt groaned as he let his head fall into his hand. Of all the things to buy his daughter, a Wyvern had not been one of the things he would have thought of. In fact, he was fairly certain the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. Even so, it wasn’t like he could do anything about it now. 

He peered into the stall, watching his daughter as she played with the unusually little black beast. It wasn’t a big surprise to him that his daughter had picked the one Wyvern that was as odd as she was. In the century that he had lived, he had never seen a black Wyvern in person before. “I thought black Wyvern were a thing of legend, like black Pegasi and the ancient Dark Fliers and Malig Knights,” he thought aloud.

Rhea rested her cheek against her palm, looking about as uncertain as he was. “It is true, the black variations of Wyverns and Pegasi are extremely uncommon in Fodlan to the point of being considered extinct. They were once very plentiful but, because they were not scared of magic like other variants, they were highly sought after by knights from all across Fodlan. As a result, their numbers dwindled until they were so uncommon both the Dark Flier and Malig Knight titles had to be rescinded from all certification exams,” she explained, a hint of sadness tinging her voice.

His brow quirked up in surprise then his mouth twisted in disgust. Of course, humans could ruin anything if they tried to take too much at once. It was a sad fact of the world. Rather than linger on those thoughts, he looked back to where his daughter was running about, calling for the hatchling to follow her. He sighed through his nose as he stepped into the stall. He crouched on the soft ground, preparing himself for the inevitable. “Hey, By,” he called softly.

Byleth perked immediately at the sound of her father’s voice, her face lighting up despite the tear stains marring her cheeks. “Papa!” she cheered. He smiled as she charged across the stall and plowed into his arms with the little Wyvern waddling after her as fast as his little legs would allow. Jeralt hugged her back gently as the little beast finally reached them and chirped for attention. His daughter stepped back to smile at her hatchling and opened her arms to cuddle his head. Jeralt felt his heart swell at the sight of his daughter cuddling the black beast, a smile of pure joy on her face. 

“Have you picked out a name for him yet?” he asked.

She tilted her head in thought then met the Wyvern’s wide purple eyes. He and Rhea watched as she swayed from foot to foot before she stilled and smiled at them. “Night!” she exclaimed happily. _Yeah, that seems about right,_ Jeralt mused as a smirk overtook his features.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'msosorrypleasedon'thateme!!!
> 
> I couldn't think of any logical way the Church could intervene in this situation. They intervened with Elise because Hanneman was worried for her but without any physical proof, the Church has no place setting foot in Ordelia territory. If they did so without proof, they would appear to be abusing their power and intervening in the affairs of the Empire and Alliance. I'm sorry y'all but I can't save Lysithea. The good news is, which Hanneman on their side, Rhea can ask him to begin researching a way to remove a person's Crest as a hypothetical.
> 
> Quick Side note: Byleth’s armored bear is named Bear and her other dolls all have very simple names: Lady, Bud, Cat and the like. I’m honestly no better, I name all my plushies after food: Chiffon, Sorbet, Cayenne and so on.
> 
> UPDATE  
I decided to make Byleth a Malig Knight so Constance can be the lone Dark Flier in the Ashen Wolves, thus giving Byleth a unique class. Also, the pre-established thing about Wyvern mentioned a few chapters back, it just makes sense for her to have a Wyvern.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, looks like I'm joining the band wagon finally. First and foremost, Byleth is going to be referred to as Lavenza which was my in game name. Second, I freaking hate that there isn't a true ending where everyone survives and join forces against Those Who Slither in the Dark. Thirdly, I was inspired to do this after reading Like Cobalt by WitchDrug and I highly recommend you go and give that a read. And lastly, I'm really kinda peeved that they didn't let you become a Dark Flier or Malig Knight in Three Houses so I'm gonna have some fun with this story.
> 
> Lavenza has gone through the routes in this order: Verdant Wind, Azure Moon, Silver Snow and Crimson Flower.


End file.
